Page 19 of Let Me Love You
“Dad.” He sat up and stretched. The swing swayed, knocking him unsteady. He grabbed the arm of the swing to steady himself and rubbed the side of his neck, which would make him pay for falling asleep in such an awkward position.
His father held out his hand.
Ren grabbed it and hauled himself up to standing. “What time is it?”
“Two in the morning,” his father said.
Ren scanned his surroundings. He didn’t see Stacey’s car in the driveway, and everything appeared quiet in the house. Where the hell was she?
He stared at his father.
Jay Haynes, D.D.S. must have just woken up. He stood before Ren in navy blue and white checkered pajama pants and a white t-shirt. Light-brown hair peppered with gray lay disheveled on his head. “Your mother started to get worried when she didn’t hear you come in. She got up about ten minutes ago and noticed your Jeep in the driveway, but you weren’t in the house. I was given the mission to find you.”
His father didn’t seem the least bit annoyed. That was a great thing about Dad, patience and understanding. Where Mom could be overprotective and worrisome, his father knew exactly how to handle him.
“Sorry if I gave you guys a scare.” Ren swiped a hand over his face. “Mom needs to understand I’m an adult. Some nights I may not come home at all. Soon enough I’ll be back out on my own.”
“Ha!” Jay chuckled. “Even when you get married and have a family of your own, your mother will worry. That’s part of what being a parent is about. Mothers always worry, particularly your mother. She may be a little overprotective, but she loves you.” He paused. “Can you tell me why you’re sleeping on Stacey’s porch?”
“I was hoping to catch her.” Ren sat on the porch step. His father’s probing came with intent, and he didn’t want to discuss it in the confines of their home for fear his mother would overhear. He hadn’t quite figured out how to explain to his parents his feelings for Stacey. “I guess I fell asleep waiting for her.”
“She’s at her sister’s in Sarasota. You’d be waiting quite a while.” His father arched a brow before sitting next to him. “I overheard her talking to Mom earlier.”
“She talked to Mom?” His voice cracked with nervousness. Stacey wouldn’t have said anything. If she had, his mother would have been blowing up his phone all night. Stacey had been caught off guard by his play for her this afternoon, enough to rush off and hide. There was no way she’d mention anything to his mom.
“Yes. They chatted for a few minutes in the driveway before she left. Did something happen with Stacey? I know you were over there this afternoon. But she seemed to be in a rush to head out, at least that’s what your mother thought. She was concerned.” His dad stared out into Stacey’s front yard, not making eye contact.
A good thirty seconds of silence passed before Ren answered.
“I’m in love with her, Dad.” His words came out with confidence, but his heart raced a mile a minute. Admitting his feelings to himself had been a piece of cake. He cared what his father thought and wanted to be viewed as a man worthy of Stacey’s love and someone his dad could be proud of. Not some young guy trying to live out an erotic dream.
Jay inhaled slowly before turning to look at Ren. His father’s blue-gray eyes shined with seriousness in the low light of the moon.
“What makes you think that, son?” His father rested his elbows on his thighs. Small lines etched next to his eyes and across his forehead, illustrating his concern.
“I’ve always had a crush on her.” Ren ran a hand through his short hair and exhaled. “But over the last couple of years, I’ve felt things for her. More than just a physical attraction. We became friends. I want to protect her. I want to do things with her…for her. I enjoy being around her. I couldn’t wait to get done with school just to be near her again.”
“This isn’t just some fantasy of being with an older woman, is it? Staceyisan attractive woman.”
“It probably started that way. She’s beautiful…inside and out. But my feelings for her go well beyond any sexual fantasy. I don’t know how to explain it because I’ve never felt it before. But I feel alive whenever I’m around her.” Ren rubbed his hands over his face, trying to push away the tiredness and unease.
“Stacey had a really tough year. She struggled with the divorce and the fact Randy got another woman pregnant. It took her a couple months to even crawl out of her house after she first found out. Your mother and I were worried about her. She’s in a very vulnerable state.”
“I know she is.” Ren wiped his hands along his jeans. His nerves were on high, making his hands sweat. “That just makes me want to be with her even more. I need to show her how amazing she is. Randy is a dick and I hate him for what he did to her, for hurting her. For putting insecurities in her head that were never there before. But another part of me wants to thank him. If he wasn’t such an asshole, I’d never have my shot with her. And I want one. Desperately.”
“Are you sure you don’t want a relationship with a girl your own age? It would be far less complicated.”
“I’ve been with plenty of girls my age.”
His father smirked and rolled his eyes. He’d never hid his disapproval of Ren’s rash of girls in high school or college, and had often expressed his concern that Ren’s wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am attitude toward girls would eventually get him in trouble. Luckily that prophecy hadn’t come true.
“I had fun, Dad. But none of those girls held my interest very long. Stacey does.”
“Does Stacey know how you feel?”
Ren nodded. “She does now. I told her this afternoon.”
“What did she have to say about it?”
